


Making Paradise (Paradise Trilogy Book Three)

by heckhansol



Series: Paradise Trilogy [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Final Installment, M/M, Romance, some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 15:45:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14674266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heckhansol/pseuds/heckhansol
Summary: "That's the problem, isn't it? You could never possibly hurt me or break my heart... I'm stuck with you."---This is the third and final book of the Paradise Trilogy. Welcome back everyone :)





	Making Paradise (Paradise Trilogy Book Three)

Wonwoo finds himself chewing on his lower lip the way Mingyu always does when he’s nervous. He’s jittery, both from anxiety and from lack of sleep—he’s been awake for more than a day now, staying up all night in the waiting room, hardly internalizing what’s playing on the television screen and checking his watch countless times. It’s becoming light out the next day by the time he’s allowed into Mingyu’s room.

            A Korean-American woman in a white doctor’s coat walks up to him in the waiting area. Feeling the rush of something like the beginnings of relief mixed with a doubling of his anxiety at the possibility of bad news when he realizes she’s for him, Wonwoo stands and bows to her.

            She bows and says in English, “Mr. Jeon, I’m Doctor Wendy Son. The first thing I should say is that it’s all good news.”

            The relief floods in and Wonwoo lets it come with a gentle sigh. “Thank god.”

            The doctor smiles. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll explain on the way.” Wonwoo nods and feels his legs tingle a little bit as he walks, the shock starting to wear away from what happened.

            It wasn’t hard for the people at the ER desk to figure out who Wonwoo was talking about when he came in asking for his boyfriend, a tall Korean man with blonde hair named Kim Mingyu. They still wouldn’t let Wonwoo see him, though, and sent him to the waiting room until the doctor came to speak with him. It felt like years waiting for Mingyu, wondering if they were doing surgery on him, if he was even alive anymore, and what _happened_ to him. He figures now he’ll be finding that out, and is so thankful that it isn’t anything too serious.

            “Would you prefer if I speak Korean with you? That’s why I’m your partner’s physician today,” the doctor says.

            Wonwoo is thankful for that, too. “Thank you.”

            “From the EMT report,” she says, switching over, “it looks like he somehow slipped off the sidewalk curb and was bumped by a taxi. From that, he has two minute fractures in two ribs on the right side—nothing serious enough to incise, no staples or anything of the sort. But he’ll need to be on strict bed rest for a week at the least, depending on how well he heals, and no strenuous physical activity for a month. Keep the movement of his right arm and any twisting or bending of the midsection to a minimum.”

            Wonwoo nods as he follows her around a corner, imagining Mingyu on some street, maybe between their apartment and Wonwoo’s office, his cell phone in his trembling hand and his eyes full of terror as he watched Wonho come closer to him and he backed away. Did Wonho push him? Did Wonho try to kill Mingyu? Out of some deranged, lust- and power-driven _If I can’t have you nobody can_ sort of intention? The EMTs said Mingyu slipped, but is there really a way for them to know that? Other than someone walking by or watching from across the street at that exact moment, Mingyu and Wonho are the only people who know the answer to those questions. But Wonwoo isn’t going to ask Mingyu right away, maybe not even at all today. Right now, he just wants to see that Mingyu is okay.

            The doctor continues. “The taxi driver reported that after he was bumped, your partner fell and hit his head on the curb, so our first priority was checking for a concussion and internal bleeding either in the brain or from the fractures. The brain scans take a long time—we apologize for that. We had him in a CT, and then we lined him up for an MRI just to be sure, which took up most of your night. We’re glad to say that everything looks undamaged and fully functional. We’ll be keeping him for two days and will run a final scan, and at that point when everything looks good, as we expect, you can take him home. Carefully,” she says, and smiles a little. “As of now, he just has a small laceration on his forehead that’ll need to be kept clean and bandaged for a while. We put in six stitches.”

            The weight lifting off Wonwoo’s chest is one of the greatest physical feelings he’s ever had. But as they slow in the hallway and come to the window of a room, and as the doctor opens the blinds to reveal Mingyu lying in a bed, dressings wrapped around his forehead, eyes closed, and motionless, a new weight sets in.

            Wonwoo thought he knew what guilt was before, but now he finally understands. He already felt terrible about bringing Mingyu to New York, about putting him in Wonho’s path, and about being unable to help it. But now, Mingyu has been actually physically injured and Wonwoo wasn’t there to stop it. A hundred times tonight he’s thought he should never have gone into work, that it was too soon after what had most recently happened with Wonho sending them that recording, that Mingyu was in no shape to be alone. He should have been there for Mingyu, and he wasn’t. This is what’s come of it, and it is all his fault.

            “He’s stable,” the doctor says, her voice softer. “He came to us unconscious but woke up just before we started the CT. The first thing he did was ask for you.” She smiles, watching Wonwoo stare blankly into the room. “He’s only sleeping. I would advise you to let him rest.”

            Wonwoo nods. He wants to be relieved again, but the crushing shame he has over his absence during this ordeal for Mingyu prevents anything else. “Can I go in?”

            The doctor puts a hand out gently. “Of course. We have him on low-dose oxycodone now. We’ll have some paperwork for you later, but for now if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

            Wonwoo forces himself to turn and bow again. “Thank you,” he says, and he goes quietly into Mingyu’s room.

            He pulls over a chair and sits by Mingyu’s side. He looks pallor, the golden vibrancy of his skin absent after being hurt, after four days of hardly eating, after leaving the island in the first place. Wonwoo can see where the bandages cover the cut on his forehead, underneath his bangs that have fallen messily back into place after being pushed back by the nurses. There will be no bandages around Mingyu’s midsection, but Wonwoo imagines that if he lifted the blanket and Mingyu’s hospital gown, it would reveal the most hellish bruise he’s ever seen in his life. On a shelf next to Mingyu’s bed is the remainder of Mingyu’s oxycodone prescription. To Wonwoo, it doesn’t seem enough, but he knows it’s better to be done with it as soon as possible. He just doesn’t want Mingyu to be in any pain.

            He reaches up and gently places his hand over Mingyu’s. What has he done? He promised he would be there for Mingyu. He promised he wouldn’t let Mingyu get hurt. He was told not to promise anything—to make sure those things get done and stay true instead—but now he’s only broken everything he’s said to Mingyu. They were all empty promises, just like he always knew. How will Mingyu ever forgive him? How will Mingyu ever trust him again?

            He whispers, “I’m sorry.”

            Behind him, there’s a moment of commotion in the hallway. He hears a nurse shout in English, “Don’t crowd the room!” He turns around just as all eleven of their friend push through the doorway, led by Jihoon and Hansol.

            “Oh my god,” Wonwoo breathes. He stands and goes to them, immediately hugging Hansol hard before bowing low to Jihoon. “How did you…” He stands there, shocked, knowing how much of a fool he must seem to them now.

            “They looked up his information and found him with Seoul’s system,” Jihoon says. “I was listed as the emergency contact and they called me to let me know what was going on.”

            Wonwoo can imagine Jihoon halfway across the world, maybe having a meal with the others during some beautiful day so typical of the island, maybe working alone in his office on something for Apodis. He imagines the horror Jihoon must have felt when he was told by some stranger on the phone that Mingyu, the person he loves most in this world, had been in an accident in New York City. He imagines the rage Jihoon must have felt toward him then, and how disappointed he must have been.

            And so Wonwoo looks at Jihoon, and he looks at the group, and he says, “Everyone…I’m so sorry. I ff—” And he cuts off because he finally feels his throat closing and tears welling in his eyes. He tries to keep a straight face, but he can’t, and for the first time in everything they’ve been through, since all of this ever began with one nervous call that brought him to an island and to Mingyu, he begins to cry. His lips tremble, and he sinks to his knees. He bows to the floor. “I failed all of you.”

            “Oh, honey,” Junhui says softly, coming forward from the group and pulling Wonwoo off the ground. “You didn’t. You didn’t fail anyone.”

            Wonwoo takes shuddering breaths. “I failed you all and I-I failed Mingyu. I promised I would keep him safe and…” He can’t speak through his tears.

            Junhui hugs him, and soon everyone else crowds around, forming a circle with Wonwoo at the center.

            “Hyung, it’s okay,” Chan says.

            “Nobody could have prevented this,” Seungcheol says.

            “Nobody could have known he would follow you here,” Seungkwan says.

            Wonwoo sniffs and looks up. “You know what happened?”

            Hansol nods. “He called us last week to talk on his own. He said he didn’t want you to know how he was feeling or that he called again because you might think he didn’t want to be here with you.”

            Wonwoo blinks at him. Of course he wouldn’t think that. It isn’t that Mingyu would have wanted to leave _him_ , it’s just that he would have wanted to get away from what was happening to them. But Mingyu stayed strong, and he didn’t run away. Wonwoo finally understands why Mingyu always said he didn’t want to tell anyone what was happening. It was for him.

            He shakes his head.

            Hansol nods. “We know. But he finally told us what had been happening, how you were trying to handle it, how you were by his side always, and we knew that none of it could possibly be your fault.”

            “That’s why we were so ready to come,” Jihoon says. “We weren’t expecting this, but when the hospital contacted me I got the flight right away. Wonwoo, you’ve been taking care of him this entire time. This…this is just an awful coincidence. You couldn’t be right there with him every second of the day.”

            “And of course that bastard would wait until the moment you weren’t there to confront him,” Jisoo says. “To catch him alone and make him feel helpless.”

            “Just like he did back when he came to the island,” Seokmin says. “You did everything you could.”

            “You tried.”

            Wonwoo looks at Jeonghan, standing quietly at the edge of the circle. He realizes that it’s the first words he has ever heard Jeonghan speak to him—speak at _all_ , without a melody. For some reason, it makes him cry even harder.

            Junhui rubs his back. “Ah, Wonwoo…”

            “Please don’t blame yourself for this,” Soonyoung says.

            And Minghao adds, “Jeonghan is right.”

            “You didn’t fail me.”

            They all pause and look over to the bed. Mingyu’s eyes are open, big but lacking that brightness again. He looks over in their direction, gazing at Wonwoo.

            Junhui lets him go, but Wonwoo can’t get his legs to move for a moment. “Mingyu.”

            “You didn’t fail me,” Mingyu repeats. “You couldn’t have helped it. I shouldn’t have gone out by myself.”

            “Mingyu,” Wonwoo says again before going back to his side. He takes Mingyu’s hand gently, sitting again to be level with him and lean close. Mingyu smiles as best he can at him, and Wonwoo’s heart breaks a little bit more.

            “How are you feeling?” Jihoon asks as they all form a protective arch around Mingyu’s bed.

            Mingyu maintains his smile and says, “My chest hurts.”

            Wonwoo squeezes his hand. “You…you have two fractured ribs. And you hit your head.”

            “Is my brain messed up?” Mingyu asks.

            Seungkwan says, “I got them to show me the scans themselves. Everything looks just fine.”

            Mingyu nods. He shifts his gaze slowly, meets eyes with Soonyoung and points weakly at him. “You’re Chan, right? Or are you Minghao?”

            They all look suddenly concerned, Soonyoung and Chan most of all, before Mingyu gives an airy laugh and waves his hand, squeezing Wonwoo’s in his other. “I’m just kidding. I missed you guys so much.”

            Jihoon lowers and shakes his head, unable to keep from smiling. Junhui gives Mingyu a wide-eyed look. “Yah. Don’t say stuff like that. Just because you’re wearing bandages doesn’t mean you can give us all a heart attack.”

            Mingyu smiles softly. “Especially you, Jun.”

            Junhui closes his mouth and blushes. “I missed you too, honey.”

            “We all missed you,” Seungcheol says.

            Mingyu nods. “Don’t worry. Wonwoo takes good care of me.”

            Wonwoo bites his lip and looks down. “Mingyu, I’m so sorry. I should have been there.”

            Mingyu shakes his head and squeezes Wonwoo’s hand again. “Don’t feel bad.”

            “I should have made sure I got home from work faster and knew where you were going. I shouldn’t have even gone to the meeting. I should have—”

            “It was just a spontaneous decision, Wonwoo. And you can’t just not work. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

            Wonwoo hates the sad smile on Mingyu’s face. He should be consoling Mingyu, not the other way around. Suddenly, Mingyu seems far too mature after what happened to him.

            Wonwoo sighs heavily. “Mingyu…”

            “No. It’s not,” Jihoon says.

            Wonwoo looks up, and they all turn their attention to him.

            “This isn’t your fault, and it isn’t _your_ fault either,” he says, nodding at Wonwoo.

            “He’s right,” Jisoo says. “This was Wonho. Every part of it.”

            Jihoon nods. “And I intend to make sure the two of you get the justice you deserve after being harassed and stalked.”

            Wonwoo and Mingyu gaze over at him. Wonwoo puts his free hand on Mingyu’s leg. “What…what are you saying?”

            In the silence then, Wonwoo watches Jihoon and Mingyu share a long gaze, Jihoon asking something with his eyes while Mingyu tries his best to maintain his expression, failing at the middle of his eyebrows. Jisoo and Seungcheol exchange a momentary glance as well, and Hansol holds his hands together behind his back and draws in a deep breath, and Wonwoo starts to wonder just how much he still doesn’t know.

            “Just a talk,” Jihoon says, unblinking at Mingyu’s face. “That’s all I’m asking. I know you can.”

            Wonwoo watches Mingyu’s expression become conflicted, his eyes glistening in the artificial light, his brows turning something close to worried. And then it all softens, and his eyes slip closed, and he lets out a sigh. Wonwoo feels him squeeze his hand one more time.

            When Mingyu looks at Jihoon again, he nods once and says, “He can choose.”

            Wonwoo sees Seungkwan just barely shake his head, followed by Jihoon, giving Mingyu a clear _no_ with his own shake. Mingyu blinks a few times, then looks down. His lower lip goes between his teeth.

            “Wonwoo,” Jihoon says.

            Wonwoo looks at him. Unconsciously, he holds Mingyu’s hand tighter.

            Jihoon says, “Let’s get you some coffee.”

            Wonwoo doesn’t move. He knows it’s useless when he says, “But I—”

            Jihoon tilts his head toward the doorway, and Wonwoo stands. He gives Mingyu’s hand a final squeeze and leans down to kiss his cheek.

            “It’s okay,” Mingyu says, and smiles for him again.

            Wonwoo can’t answer. He lets go of Mingyu’s hand and leaves the room as Jihoon holds the door open for him. Just before Jihoon closes it, he hears Mingyu say one of the most ridiculous things of his whole life: “ _I can’t believe you guys came all the way to New York._ ”

            “Come on, Wonwoo,” Jihoon says, leading him down the hallway. “You’ve been awake for how many hours now?”

            Wonwoo follows, still unable to answer, unsure how many more than twenty-four it is.

            “Yeah,” Jihoon says. “Coffee with extra sugar.”

            So they go to the cafeteria, and Wonwoo does as Jihoon says and sits at a table while he makes two cups of coffee, milk but no sugar in his own, cream and two sugars in Wonwoo’s. He brings the styrofoam cups to the table in each hand, placing Wonwoo’s in front of him before sitting and taking a sip.

            “Thanks,” Wonwoo says. He picks up his cup and looks into it at the color of Mingyu’s inner thighs, and before Jihoon can say anything else, he says, “I have no words to express how sorry—”

            “Enough,” Jihoon says.

            Wonwoo closes his mouth as Jihoon sets down his coffee, still holding it. Wonwoo swallows once, looking into Jihoon’s eyes.

            “I can’t stop you from apologizing to Mingyu, or to the others,” Jihoon says. “But that’s the last time you will apologize to me. I forgive you, Wonwoo. There’s nothing to forgive for because you did nothing wrong, but you’re too stubborn to accept that, so I forgive you. Mingyu is fine, and it’s going to be okay.”

            Wonwoo says nothing while Jihoon taps his index finger against the styrofoam.

            Then one corner of Jihoon’s mouth lifts, and he says, “You’ll think it’s crazy.”

            Wonwoo’s insides suddenly feel thick. “What?”

            Jihoon shakes his head, sips his coffee again. “He used to work in Seoul. Before then, Kyoto. He speaks both languages fluently.”

            Wonwoo turns viscous, like all the butterflies in his stomach have morphed into a syrupy fluid, slow moving and taunting, trying to get him to realize something.

            “He lost two cases in his entire career,” Jihoon continues, “and it was because both of his clients were lying. Out of hundreds of other cases, he never lost one. They knew him for his performance in the courtroom—calm, collected, intelligent but not unique. Until he brought the defendant on the stand.”

            Wonwoo watches Jihoon’s hand leave his coffee cup, knock once against the table like a judge might do with a gavel, and Jihoon mouths, _Bang._

The feeling inside of Wonwoo all at once begins to carbonate.

            Jihoon says, “Nowadays he works for a small boating company in the Philippines that answers on some occasions to a larger, different kind of company. For them, he pilots customers out to a little island, no more than two miles in radius.”

            Wonwoo holds onto his coffee cup with both hands as if it will make all things steady. He says, “What are you saying.”

            Jihoon’s hand returns to his coffee. “I’m saying that if what Mingyu can tell us is enough, we can press charges against Shin Wonho.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.  
> This is probably really sudden, but here’s chapter one of the final installment. I’m posting this because I recently got a huge bout of inspiration after seeing @mnguwu ’s moodboard on Twitter (thank you also to @sebongshinki for their moodboard/tweets as well as everyone else who has mentioned me and/or this series). So I sat down and finished this first chapter in the past hour, and felt that I owed it to you all to post it now.  
> That said, this is the ONLY chapter I have completed (it’s not all I’ve written—I’ve written a lot—but it’s the only complete chapter), so I can’t say exactly when the next one will be up. While I hope this has provided some much needed relief, I also hope it didn’t provide too much closure that you may not feel the need to read on. I’m desperate to finish this series, I just have so much going on in life and in writing.  
> I’ve also dug myself in really deep, because I know,,, not too much about the law and the legal process, so it’s going to take a little research. Bear with me, and there will be mistakes…I’m hoping most of you aren’t law/pre-law students because then the jig is kind of up for me lol. Please excuse the mistakes to come :’)  
> With all of that, I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and that you have some questions for the story or the characters, or that you at least are anticipating the next chapter. I’m working as hard as I can!  
> As always, thank you for reading.  
> L
> 
> p.s. i know i still have the final chapter of everything we’re not. it will be done. work-life balance.


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